The invention furthermore relates to vectors and to host cells transformed with the described nucleic acid molecules or vectors, in particular plant cells and plants which can be regenerated from these.
There are also described methods for the generation of transgenic plant cells and plants which, owing to the introduction of DNA molecules encoding a starch synthase, synthesize a starch whose properties are altered. The present invention also relates to the starch which can be obtained from the plant cells and plants according to the invention, and to processes for the production of this starch.
Bearing in mind the recently increasing importance of plant constituents as renewable raw materials, it is one of the tasks of biotechnology research to attempt to adapt these plant raw materials to the demands of the processing industry. Thus, to make possible the use of renewable raw materials in as many fields of application as possible, it is necessary to make available a great variety of materials. Not only oils, fats and proteins, but also polysaccharides, constitute important renewable raw materials from plants. A pivotable position in the polysaccharides is taken up not only by cellulose, but also by starch, which is one of the most important storage materials in higher plants. In this context, maize is one of the most interesting plants, since it is the most important crop plant worldwide for starch production.
The polysaccharide starch is a polymer of chemically uniform base units, the glucose molecules. However, it is a highly complex mixture of different forms of molecules which differ with regard to their degree of polymerization and the occurrence of branchings in the glucose chains. Starch is therefore no uniform raw material. In particular, we differentiate between amylose starch, an essentially unbranched polymer of xcex1-1,4-glycosidically linked glucose molecules, and amylopectin starch, which, in turn, constitutes a complex mixture of differently branched glucose chains. Other branchings are generated by the occurrence of additional xcex1-1,6-glycosidic linkages. In typical plants used for starch production such as, for example, maize or potatoes, the starch synthesized consists of approx. 20%-25% of amylose starch and approx. 75%-80% of amylopectin starch.
To allow as broad an application of starch as possible, it appears desirable to provide plants which are capable of synthesizing modified starch which is particularly suitable for various purposes. One possibility of providing such plants isxe2x80x94besides plant-breeding measuresxe2x80x94the targeted genetic alteration of the starch metabolism of the starch-producing plants by recombinant methods. However, a prerequisite for this is the identification and characterization of the enzymes which participate in starch synthesis and/or starch modification, and the isolation of the relevant DNA molecules which encode these enzymes.
The biochemical synthetic pathways which lead to the synthesis of starch are essentially known. In plant cells, starch synthesis takes place in the plastids. In photosynthetically active tissues, these are the chloroplasts, in photosynthetically inactive, starch-storing tissues, the amyloplasts.
The most important enzymes which participate in starch synthesis are the starch synthases and the branching enzymes. Amongst the starch synthases, various isoforms have been described, all of which catalyze a polymerization reaction by transferring a glucosyl residue from ADP-glucose to xcex1-1,4-glucans. Branching enzymes catalyze the introduction of xcex1-1,6-branchings into linear xcex1-1,4-glucans. Two classes of starch synthases can be distinguished: the granule-bound starch synthases (GBSS) and the soluble starch synthases (SS). However, this distinction is not clear-cut in each individual case, since some of the starch synthases are present both in granule-bound form and in soluble form (Denyer et al., Plant J. 4 (1993), 191-198; Mu et al., Plant J. 6 (1994), 151-159).
Besides the class of the granule-bound starch synthases, GBSSI, at least three different isoforms have been described in maize plants within the class of the soluble starch synthases, based on cDNA and amino acid sequence comparisons. Isoform I of starch synthase (SSI) includes genes, which, in maize, encode an approx. 76 kDa protein zSSI (Mu et al., Plant J 6, (1994), 151-159) and which have as yet only been described for monocotyledonous plants such as, for example, for rice (Baba et al., Plant Physiol. 103, (1993), 565-573), are expressed mainly in the endosperm. As a rule, these proteins are stimulated by citrate and are independent of so-called primer molecules.
In contrast, isoform II starch synthases (=SSII) are, as a rule, dependent on primer molecules and show the highest sequence homology with the SSII Isoformsxe2x80x94some of which used to be termed GBSSIIxe2x80x94from pea (Dry et al., Plant J. 2, (1992), 193-202) and potato (Edwards et al., Plant J 8, (1995), 283-294).
When considering the maize SSII, a distinction must be made between the genes, or cDNAs, which are termed zSSIIa and zSSIIb in the literature (Ham et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 37, (1998), 639-649; Imparl-Radosevich, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 362, (1999), 131-138), and the so-called SSII protein, an approx. 180 kDa protein (molecular weight determined by means of gel filtration (Mu et al., Plant J. 6, (1994), 151-159)) from maize endosperm, whose name is based on earlier biochemical studies (Boyer and Preiss, Plant Physiol. 67, (1981), 1141-1145; Mu et al., Plant J. 6, (1994), 151-159). The question of which gene actually corresponds to these 180 kDa proteins is currently not conclusively answered (Imparl-Radosevich, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 362, (1999), 131-138). Cao et al. (Plant Physiol. 120, (1999), 205-215) propose the so-called du1 gene as the gene which corresponds to the 180 kDa protein.
The third class of starch synthase genes which has been described to date, termed SSIII, encode, in potatoes, an 139 kDa protein (Abel et al., Plant J. 10, (1996), 981-991; Marshall et al., Plant Cell 8, (1996), 1121-1135), which amount to 80% of the total starch synthase activity in potato tubers. Since certain sequence regions of the C-terminus are highly conserved in comparison with the potato SSIII amino acid sequence, it was proposed to rename the maize gene originally termed du1 gene xe2x80x9czSSIIIxe2x80x9d (Cao et al., Plant Physiol. 120, (1999), 205-215), the prefix xe2x80x9czxe2x80x9d denoting the organism of origin Zea mays. 
The detailed function in starch synthesis has as yet only been determined for the isoform GBSS I. Plants in which this enzyme activity is greatly or fully reduced synthesize an amylase-free xe2x80x9cwaxyxe2x80x9d starch (Shure et al., Cell 35 (1983), 225-233; Visser et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 225 (1991), 289-296; WO9211376A1), so that an important role in amylose starch synthesis is attributed to this enzyme. This phenomenon is likewise observed in cells of the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Delrue et al., J. Bacteriol. 174 (1992), 3612-3620). In Chlamydomonas, it was additionally possible to demonstrate that GBSS I not only participates in amylose synthesis, but also affects amylopectin synthesis. Mutants which have no GBSSI activity lack a particular fraction of the usually synthesized amylopectin, which contains longer-chain glucans.
The functions of the isoforms of the soluble starch synthases remain unclear, it is assumed that the soluble starch synthases together with branching enzymes participate in amylopectin synthesis (see, for example, Ponstein et al., Plant Physiol. 92 (1990), 234-241) and that they play an important role in the regulation of the starch synthesis rate.
Besides maize, soluble starch synthases were also identified in a series of other plant species. For example, soluble starch synthases have been isolated until homogeneous from pea (Denyer and Smith, Planta 186 (1992), 609-617) and potato (Edwards et al., Plant J. 8 (1995), 283-294). It emerged in these cases that the isoform of the soluble starch synthase which is identified as SS II is identical with the granule-bound starch synthase GBSS II (Denyer et al., Plant J. 4 (1993), 191-198; Edwards et al., Plant J. 8 (1995), 283-294). The presence of a plurality of SS isoforms has been described for some other plant species with the aid of chromatographic methods, for example in barley (Tyynelxc3xa4 and Schulman, Physiologia Plantarum 89 (1993) 835-841; Kreis, Planta 148 (1980), 412-416) and wheat (Rijven, Plant Physiol. 81 (1986), 448-453). DNA sequences which encode these proteins have also been described (see, for example, GenBank Acc. No. U48227; Vrinten et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 261 (3), (1999), 463-471).
To provide further options of altering any starch-storing plant in such a way that it synthesizes a modified starch, it is necessary to identify DNA sequences in each case which encode further isoforms of the starch synthases.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide nucleic acid molecules which encode enzymes which participate in starch biosynthesis and with the aid of which it is possible to generate recombinant plants which exhibit an increased or reduced activity of these enzymes, thus resulting in altered chemical and/or physical properties of the starch synthesized in these plants, which is therefore better suited to general and/or specific purposes.
This object is achieved by providing the embodiments described in the patent claims.
The present invention therefore relates to nucleic acid molecules which encode proteins with the bioactivity of starch synthase or a bioactive fragment of such a protein, such molecules preferably encoding proteins with the amino acid sequence indicated under Seq ID No. 2.
In particular, the invention relates to nucleic acid molecules which comprise the nucleotide sequence indicated under Seq ID No. 1, or part thereof, preferably molecules which encompass the coding region indicated in Seq ID No. 1, or corresponding ribonucleotide sequences.
The invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules which have a sequence which is complementary to all or part of the sequence shown in Seq ID No. 1.
Subject matter of the invention are also nucleic acid molecules which encode a starch synthase or a bioactive fragment thereof and/or whose sequence deviates from the nucleotide sequences of the above-described molecule owing to the degeneracy of the genetic code.
The present invention furthermore relates to nucleic acid molecules which encode a starch synthase or a bioactive fragment thereof and which hybridize with one of the above-described molecules.
The nucleic acid molecules according to the invention can be both DNA and RNA molecules. Suitable DNA molecules are, for example, genomic or cDNA molecules. RNA molecules can be, for example, mRNA or antisense-RNA molecules. The present invention therefore also relates to nucleotide sequences of introns which are part of the genomic sequences which correspond to the cDNA sequences indicated under SEQ ID No. 1. Suitable intron sequences can be isolated and identified, for example, using the nucleic acid molecules indicated under SEQ ID No. 1, for example by screening a genomic DNA library.
The term xe2x80x9chybridizationxe2x80x9d means for the purposes of the present invention hybridization under conventional hybridization conditions, preferably under stringent conditions as they are described, for example, by Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Ed. (1989) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. xe2x80x9cHybridizationxe2x80x9d especially preferably means that hybridization takes place under the following conditions:
Hybridization buffer: 2xc3x97SSC; 10xc3x97Denhardt solution (Ficoll 400+PEG+BSA; ratio 1:1:1); 0.1% SDS; 5 mM EDTA; 50 mM Na2HPO4;
250 xcexcg/ml herring sperm DNA; 50 xcexcg/ml tRNA; or
0.25 M sodium phosphate buffer pH 7.2;
1 mM EDTA
7% SDS
hybridization temperature T=65 to 68xc2x0 C.
wash buffer: 0.2xc3x97SSC; 0.1% SDS
wash temperature T=40 to 68xc2x0 C.
Nucleic acid molecules which hybridize with the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention can be derived, in principle, from any organism (i.e. prokaryotes or eukaryotes, in particular from bacteria, fungi, algae, plants or animal organisms) which has such molecules. They are preferably derived from monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous plants, in particular from useful plants, especially preferably from starch-storing plants, in particular from maize.
Nucleic acid molecules which hybridize with the molecules according to the invention can be isolated, for example, from genomic or from cDNA libraries of various organisms. Alternatively, they can be generated by recombinant methods or synthesized chemically.
Such nucleic acid molecules can be identified and isolated from plants or other organisms using the molecules according to the invention or parts of these molecules or the reverse complements of these molecules, for example by means of hybridization following standard methods (see, for example, Sambrook et al., 1989, Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.).
Hybridization probes which can be used are, for example, nucleic acid molecules which exactly or essentially have the nucleotide sequence indicated under Seq ID No. 1 or parts of this sequence. The fragments used as hybridization probe can also be synthetic fragments which were prepared with the aid of the customary synthetic techniques and whose sequence essentially agrees with that of a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention. Once genes which hybridize with the nucleic acid sequences according to the invention have been identified and isolated, the sequence must be determined and the properties of the proteins encoded by this sequence analyzed.
The invention furthermore relates to plasmid IR 65/87, which was deposited at the Deutsche Sammlung fxc3xcr Mikroorganismen, Braunschweig, Germany, on Aug. 5, 1999 under the number DSM 12970, and to the nucleic acid molecule contained in the insertion of plasmid IR 65/87 which encodes a protein with the enzymatic activity of a starch synthase. In addition, the present invention relates to fragments of the nucleic acid molecule contained in the insertion of plasmid IR 65/87, preferably to fragments which encompass the encoding region or part thereof. Furthermore, the present invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules which hybridize with the nucleic acid molecule contained in the insertion of plasmid IR 65/87, and to nucleic acid molecules which have a sequence which is complementary to all or part of the insertion of the nucleic acid molecule contained in plasmid IR 65/87. In addition, the present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules whose nucleotide sequence deviates in comparison with the nucleic acid molecules of the insertion of plasmid IR 65/87, owing to the degeneracy of the genetic code.
The present invention also relates to fragments and allelic variants of the above-described nucleic acid molecules according to the invention.
Fragments are to be understood as meaning parts of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention which encode a protein according to the invention or parts of this protein and which are, as a rule, oligo- or polynucleotides composed of approximately 25 to 150, preferably of at least 150, especially preferably at least 500, in particular at least 1000 and especially preferably of at least 3500 nucleotides of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention.
The term xe2x80x9cfragmentxe2x80x9d is to be understood as meaning in the present context a part of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention which encodes a part of the protein according to the invention and is functionally active. Furthermore, the fragment may also encode an antisense-mRNA or be contained in a molecule which mediates a cosuppression effect or an in-vivo mutagenesis effect. xe2x80x9cFunctionally activexe2x80x9d means in the present context that the bioactivity of the protein encoded by the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention is either increased or reduced in a plant cell according to the invention.
The allelic variants can be not only naturally occurring variants, but also synthesized variants or variants which have been generated by recombinant DNA technology.
The invention also relates to derivatives of the above-described nucleic acid molecules according to the invention. The term xe2x80x9cderivativexe2x80x9d means in this context that the sequences of these molecules differ from the sequences of the above-described nucleic acid molecules with regard to one or more positions and have a high degree of homology to these sequences, in particular the coding region of the nucleotide sequence indicated under SEQ ID No. 1. Homology in this context means a sequence identity of at least 50%, in particular an identity of at least 70%, preferably over 85% and especially preferably over 95%. The deviations with regard to the above-described nucleic acid molecules may have been generated by deletion, substitution, insertion or recombination.
xe2x80x9cHomologyxe2x80x9d for the purposes of the present invention means that a functional and/or structural equivalence exists between the nucleic acid molecules in question and the proteins encoded by them. The nucleic acid molecules which are homologous to the above-described molecules and which constitute derivatives of these molecules are, as a rule, variations of these molecules which constitute modifications which exert the same biological function. They may be naturally occurring variations, for example sequences from other organisms, or mutations, it being possible for these mutations to have occurred naturally or to have been introduced by directed mutagenesis.
The proteins encoded by the various variants (fragments, derivatives, allelic variants) of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention share certain characteristics with the amino acid sequence defined under Seq ID No. 2. These may include, for example, enzyme activity, molecular weight, immunological reactivity, conformation etc., and physical properties such as, for example, the migration behavior in gel electrophoresis, the chromatographic behavior, sedimentation coefficients, solubility, spectroscopic properties, stability, pH optimum, temperature optimum, etc.
Important characteristics of a starch synthase are: i) its localization in the stroma of the plastids of plant cells; ii) its capability of synthesizing linear xcex1-1,4-linked polyglucans using ADP-glucose as substrate. This activity can be determined as described by Denyer and Smith (Planta 186 (1992), 609-617).
The nucleic acid molecules according to the invention can originate from a pro- or eukaryotic organism which expresses the genes described, preferably from plants, in particular from starch-synthesizing or starch-storing plants. These can be both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. Especially preferred in this context are, for example, cereal species (such as barley, rye, oats, wheat etc.), maize, rice, peas, cassava, potatoes and the like.
The proteins encoded by the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention are an isoform of a plant starch synthase which has previously not been identified and characterized. These proteins have the enzymatic activity of a starch synthase and show significant homology to the potato SSIII (Marshall et al., Plant Cell 8, (1996), 1121-1135) and the maize isoform termed zSSIII (du1) (Cao et al., Plant Physiol. 120, (1999), 205-215) in the region of amino acids 740 to 1170 of the amino acid sequence indicated under SEQ ID No. 2. The proteins encoded by the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention differ from the potato SSIII and the maize zSSIII significantly by their N-terminus. Furthermore, the calculated isoelectric point of the protein indicated under SEQ ID No. 2 differs significantly from the calculated isoelectric points for the potato SSIII and the maize zSSIII. Moreover, the protein indicated under SEQ ID No. 2 has a clearly reduced calculated molecular weight of approx. 132 kDa in comparison with the zSSIII (calculated molecular weight approx. 188 kDa). As opposed to zSSIII, expression of the genes of the isoform according to the invention is greater in young leaves than in the endosperm.
In a further embodiment, the present invention therefore relates to the above-described nucleic acid molecules according to the invention which encode proteins with the bioactivity of a starch synthase, such molecules preferably encoding for proteins which have a homology of at least 50%, preferably of at least 65%, in particular of at least 80% and especially preferably of at least 95% with the amino acid sequence indicated under SEQ ID No. 2 in the N-terminal region. The term xe2x80x9cN-terminusxe2x80x9d is to be understood as meaning in this context the amino acids 1 to 150, preferably the amino acids 1 to 300, and especially preferably the amino acids 1 to 480 of the amino acid sequence indicated under SEQ ID No. 2.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention encode proteins with the bioactivity of a starch synthase, such molecules encoding proteins which have a calculated isoelectric point pI=6.95 pHxc2x11.00 pH, preferably pI=6.95 pHxc2x10.75 pH, especially preferably pI=6.95 pHxc2x10.50 pH.
In a further embodiment, the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention encode proteins with the bioactivity of a starch synthase which have at least one deletion in at least one of the eight sequence motifs which are characteristic of starch synthases and which have been described by Cao et al. (Plant Physiol. 120, (1999), 205-215). The deleted motif is preferably that termed sequence motif VII by Cao et al. (Plant Physiol. 120, (1999), 205-215). In a further embodiment, the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention therefore encode proteins with the bioactivity of a starch synthase which have at least one deletion in one or more of the sequence motifs VII, selected from the group consisting of
SHTIYMSDLFIIPSIFEPCGLTQMIAMRYGS (Seq ID No. 3);
SHLIYAGADFILVPSIFEPCGLTQLTAMRYGS (Seq ID No. 4);
SHLIYAGSDFILVPSIFEPCGLTQLVAMRYGT (Seq ID No. 5);
AHQMMAGADVLAVTSRFEPCGLIQLQGMRYGT (Seq ID No. 6);
AHQMMAGADVLAVTSRFEPCGLIQLQGMRYGT (Seq ID No. 7);
AHMITAGADFMLIPSRFEPCGLIQLHAMRYGT (Seq ID No. 8);
AHMITAGADFMLVPSRFEPCGLIQLHAMRYGT (Seq ID No. 9);
AHLIMAGADVLAVPSRFEPCGLIQLQGMRYGT (Seq ID No. 10);
AHKIIAGADFIVIPSRFEPCGLVQLHAMPYGT (Seq ID No. 11);
AHHIMAGADLLAVTSRFEPCGLIQLQGMRYGT (Seq ID No. 12);
AHHIMAGADVLAVTSRFEPCGLIQLQGMRYGT (Seq ID No. 13);
SHRITAGCDILLMPSRFEPCGLNQLYAMQYGT (Seq ID No. 14);
AHRITAGSDILLMPSRFEPCGLNQLYAMSYGT (Seq ID No. 15);
SHRITAGCDILLMPSRFEPCGLNQLYAMRYGT (Seq ID No. 16);
SHRITAGADILLMPSRFEPCALNQLYAMKYGT (Seq ID No. 17);
AHRITAGADIALMPSRFEPCGLNQLYAMAYGT (Seq ID No. 18);
SHRITAGCDILLMPSRFEPCGLNQLYAMQYGT (Seq ID No. 19);
SHRITAGCDILLMPSRFEPCGLNQLYAMQYGT (Seq ID No. 20);
AHRITAGADVLVMPSRFEPCGLNQLYAMAYGT (Seq ID No. 21);
AHRITAGADILLMPSRFEPCGLNQLYAMAYGT (Seq ID No. 22);
ARKLYASSDFILMPSYFEPCGLTQMIGMRYGC (Seq ID No. 23);
AHQIYAGSDMFLMPSKFEPCGLTQLYALRYGC (Seq ID No. 24);
AHQIYAGADLFLIPSLFEPCGLSQMIALRYGT (Seq ID No. 25);
AHQIYAGADLFLIPSLFEPCGLGQLIALQYGA (Seq ID No. 26);
SHRIMGGADVILVPSRFEPCGLTQLYGSKYGT (Seq ID No. 27);
SHLMVAGGDVILVPSRFEPCGLTQLYGLQYGT (Seq ID No. 28) and
AHLIYGMDIIWPSNYEPCGLTQMIGLRYGA (Seq ID No. 29) (cf. sequence motif VII as defined by Cao et al., Plant Physiol. 120, (1999), p. 207, table 1).
Methods for identifying said sequence motifs are known to the skilled worker and may be based on amino acid sequence comparisons with the characteristic sequence motifs VII described by Cao et al (see above).
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention encode proteins with the function of a starch synthase which has a deletion of at least 2 amino acids, especially preferably of at least 5 amino acids, in particular of at least 10 amino acids and especially preferably of at least 20 amino acids in one or more of the motifs as shown in Seq ID No. 3 to 29. In a further especially preferred embodiment of the invention, said sequence motif VII of the proteins encoded by the above-described nucleic acid molecules according to the invention has the following amino acid sequence: (1)SHxe2x80x94AMRYG-(11), it being possible for positions 3, 4, 5 and 11 of this motif to be occupied by any amino acid. In Seq ID No. 2, sequence motif VII starts at amino acid 1067 (xe2x95x90S) and ends at amino acid 1077 (xe2x95x90S).
In position 3, there is especially preferably an amino acid selected from the group consisting of T, L, M, Q or R. In position 4, there is preferably an amino acid selected from the group consisting of I, L or M. In position 5, there is preferably an amino acid selected from the group consisting of I, Y, M, T or V. In position 11, there is preferably an amino acid selected from the group consisting of S, T, C or A.
The present invention also relates to the use of the above-described nucleic acid molecules according to the invention for screening nucleic acid libraries, in particular cDNA and genomic libraries and/or as hybridization probe. In addition, the present invention also relates to the use of the above-described nucleic acid molecules according to the invention for generating transgenic plant cells or transgenic plants.
Furthermore, the invention relates to vectors, in particular plasmids, cosmids, viruses, bacteriophages and other vectors commonly used in genetic engineering which contain the above-described nucleic acid molecules according to the invention.
In a preferred embodiment, the nucleic acid molecules contained in the vectors are linked to regulatory elements which ensure the transcription and synthesis of translatable RNA in prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells or in the cell-free system. Regulatory elements for expressing the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention in microorganisms (for example E. coli, S. cerevisiae) have been described widely in the literature. Promoters which permit a particularly strong expression of the gene downstream are, for example, the T7 promoter (Studier et al., Methods in Enzymology 185, (1990), 60-89), lacuv5, trp, trp-lacUV5 (DeBoer et al., in: Rodriguez and Chamberlin (Eds), Promoters, Structure and Function; Praeger, N.Y., (1982), 462-481; DeBoer et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1983), 21-25), Ip1, rac (Boros et al., Gene 42 (1986), 97-100). As a rule, protein quantities reach their maximum from the middle towards the end of the logarithmic phase of the growth cycle of the microorganisms. Thus, inducible promoters are preferably used for synthesizing proteins. These frequently lead to higher protein yields than constitutive promoters. The use of strong constitutive promoters frequently leads to the loss of energy for other essential cell functions, owing to the constant transcription and translation of a cloned gene, thus slowing down cell growth (Bernard R. Glick/Jack J. Pasternak, Molekulare Biotechnologie [Molecular Biotechnology] (1995), Spektrum Akademischer Verlag GmbH, Heidelberg Berlin Oxford, p. 342.). Thus, to achieve an optimal protein quantity, a two-step process is frequently used. First, the host cells are grown under optimal conditions up to a relatively high cell density. In the second step, transcription is then induced, depending on the type of the promoter employed.
Especially suitable in the present context is a lactose- or IPTG (=isopropyl-xcex2-D-thiogalactopyranoside) inducible tac promoter (deBoer et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80 (1983), 21-25). Termination signals for transcription are also described in the literature.
Regulatory elements for expressing the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention in plant cells are described in connection with the plant cells according to the invention.
Expression of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention in prokaryotic cells, for example in Escherichia coli is important insofar as this allows the enzymatic activities of the enzymes encoded by these molecules to be characterized in greater detail. In particular, it is possible to characterize the product synthesized by the enzymes in question in the absence of other enzymes which participate in starch synthesis in the plant cell. This allows conclusions to be drawn of the function which the protein in question has during starch synthesis in the plant cell.
In addition, it is possible to introduce various mutations into the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention by customary techniques of molecular biology (see, for example, Sambrook et al., 1989, Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), this leading to the synthesis of proteins with potentially altered biological properties. On the one hand, it is possible to generate deletion mutants in which nucleic acid molecules are generated by progressive deletions starting at the 5xe2x80x2- or at the 3xe2x80x2-end of the coding DNA sequence, which lead to the synthesis of suitably truncated proteins. For example, such deletions at the 5xe2x80x2-end of the nucleotide sequence allow amino acid sequences to be identified which are responsible for the translocation of the enzyme into the plastids (transit peptides). This permits the targeted production of enzymes which, owing to the removal of the sequences in question, are no longer localized in the plastids, but in the cytosol, or which, owing to the addition of other signal sequences, are localized in other compartments.
The exchange of the homologous transit peptide for another transit peptide which mediates localization in the plastids is also feasible. A plastid signal sequence which can be used is, for example, the spinach ferrodoxin:NADP+ oxidoreductase (FNR). This sequence contains the 5xe2x80x2 non-translated region and the flanking transit peptide sequence of the cDNA of the plastid protein spinach ferrodoxin:NADP+ oxidoreductase (nucleotides xe2x88x92171 to +165; Jansen et al., Current Genetics 13, (1988), 517-522).
Another plastid signal sequence which can be used is, for example, the transit peptide of the maize waxy protein plus the first 34 amino acids of the mature waxy protein (Klxc3x6sgen et al., Mol Gen Genet. 217, (1989), 155-161). In addition, the transit peptide of the maize waxy protein (see above) may also be used without the first 34 amino acids of the mature waxy proteins.
On the other hand, the introduction of point mutations into the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention is also feasible in positions where an altered amino acid sequence has an effect on, for example, enzyme activity or enzyme regulation. This allows for example mutants to be generated which have an altered kcat and/or Km value or which are no longer subject to the regulatory mechanisms via allosteric regulation or covalent modification which are normally present in the cell. Moreover, it is possible to generate mutants which have an altered substrate or product specificity, such as, for example, mutants which use ADP-glucose-6-phosphate instead of ADP-glucose as substrate. Furthermore, it is possible to generate mutants which have an altered activityxe2x80x94temperature profile.
To carry out recombinant manipulations in prokaryotic cells, the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention or parts of these molecules can be introduced into plasmids which permit mutagenesis or sequence modification by the recombination of DNA sequences. Base exchanges may be carried out or natural or synthetic sequences added with the aid of standard methods (cf. Sambrook et al., 1989, Molecular Cloning: A laboratory manual, 2nd Ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, N.Y., USA). To commit the DNA fragments to each other, adapters or linkers may be added to the fragments. Moreover, manipulations may be employed which provide suitable restriction cleavage sites or which remove excess DNA or restriction cleavage sites. Where insertions, deletions or substitutions are suitable, in-vitro mutagenesis, primer repair, restriction or ligation may be used. Analytical methods which are generally carried out are a sequence analysis, a restriction analysis and other methods of biochemistry and molecular biology.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to vectors which contain the above-described nucleic acid molecules according to the invention, the nucleic acid molecules being connected in sense orientation with regulatory elements which ensure the transcription and synthesis of a translatable RNA in pro- or eukaryotic cells.
The meaning of the term xe2x80x9csense orientationxe2x80x9d is known to the skilled worker.
In a further embodiment, the invention relates to host cells, in particular prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells, which are transformed with an above-described nucleic acid molecule according to the invention or a vector according to the invention, and cells which are derived from such transformed cells and contain a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention or a vector according to the invention. These are preferably bacterial cells, especially preferably plant cells.
The present invention furthermore relates to a method for generating a host cell, wherein a host cell is genetically modified by introducing a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention and/or a vector according to the invention. The host cell may be of prokaryotic or else eukaryotic origin. The cells are preferably bacterial cells, especially preferably plant cells.
The term xe2x80x9cgenetically modifiedxe2x80x9d means in connection with the present invention that the host cell, in particular a plant cell, is altered with regard to its genetic information by introducing a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention, and that the presence or the expression of the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention results in a phenotypic change. Phenotypic change in this context preferably means a measurable change in one or more cell functions. For example, genetically modified plant cells according to the invention show a reduced activity of the protein according to the invention or an increased activity of the protein according to the invention.
Subject matter of the invention are furthermore the proteins or bioactive fragments thereof which are encoded by the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention and methods for their production, where a host cell according to the invention is grown under conditions which permit the synthesis of the protein and the protein is subsequently isolated from the cultured cells and/or the culture medium. The characteristic properties of the proteins according to the invention have already been described above in connection with the description of the corresponding nucleic acid molecules according to the invention.
The provision of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention now allows engagement, with the aid of recombinant methods, in the starch metabolism of plants, in an unprecedented manner and to alter it in such a way that the synthesis of a modified starch results which is altered in comparison with starch synthesized in wild-type plants for example with regard to its physicochemical properties, in particular the amylose/amylopectin ratio, the degree of branching, the average chain length, the phosphate content, the gelatinization behavior, and the size and/or shape of the starch granule (starch granule morphology). Owing to an increase in the activity of the proteins according to the invention, for example by overexpressing suitable nucleic acid molecules, or by providing mutants which are no longer subject to the homologous regulatory mechanisms and/or have different temperature dependences with regard to their activities, it is possible to increase the yield in suitably genetically engineered plants.
The economic importance of the possibility of engaging in starch synthesis even only in maize is obvious: maize is the most important starch plant worldwide.
Approximately 80% of the starch produced worldwide each year is obtained from maize.
Thus, it is possible to express the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention in plant cells in order to increase the activity of the starch synthase in question. It is furthermore possible to modify the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention by methods known to the skilled worker in order to obtain starch synthases according to the invention which are no longer subject to the homologous regulatory mechanisms or show altered temperature dependences or substrate or product specificities.
When expressing the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention in plants, it is possible, in principle, for the protein synthesized to be localized in any compartment of the plant cell. To achieve localization in a particular compartment, the sequence which ensures localization in plastids must be deleted and, if appropriate, the remaining coding region linked to DNA sequences which ensure localization in the compartment in question. Such sequences are known (see, for example, Braun et al., EMBO J. 11 (1992), 3219-3227; Wolter et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85 (1988), 846-850; Sonnewald et al., Plant J. 1 (1991), 95-106). Examples of plastid signal sequences have already been mentioned above in a different context.
The present invention thus also relates to transgenic plant cells which have been transformed with a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention or a vector according to the invention, and to transgenic plant cells derived from such transformed cells. Such cells contain a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention, the nucleic acid molecule preferably being linked to regulatory DNA elements which ensure transcription in plant cells, in particular to a promoter. A multiplicity of techniques are available for introducing DNA into a plant host cell. These techniques encompass the transformation of plant cells with T-DNA using Agrobacterium tumefaciens or Agrobacterium rhizogenes as transformation means, the transformation of protoplasts by means of polyethylene glycol, the injection, the electroporation of DNA, the introduction of DNA by means of the biolistic approach, and other possibilities.
The use of the agrobacteria-mediated transformation of plant cells has been researched into intensively and described sufficiently in EP-A2-0120516; Hoekema, in: The Binary Plant Vector System, Offsetdrukkerij Kanters B. V., Alblasserdam (1985), Chapter V; Fraley et al., Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 4-46 and An et al. EMBO J. 4, (1985), 277-287. For the transformation of potato, see, for example, Rocha-Sosa et al. (EMBO J. 8, (1989), 29-33.).
The transformation of monocotyledonous plants by means of Agrobacterium-based vectors has also been described (Chan et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 22, (1993), 491-506; Hiei et al., Plant J. 6, (1994) 271-282; Deng et al, Science in China 33, (1990), 28-34; Wilmink et al., Plant Cell Reports 11, (1992), 76-80; May et al., Bio/Technology 13, (1995), 486-492; Conner and Domisse, Int. J. Plant Sci. 153 (1992), 550-555; Ritchie et al, Transgenic Res. 2, (1993), 252-265). An alternative system for the transformation of monocotyledonous plants is the transformation by the biolistic approach (Wan and Lemaux, Plant Physiol. 104, (1994), 37-48; Vasil et al., Bio/Technology 11 (1993), 1553-1558; Ritala et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 24, (1994), 317-325; Spencer et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 79, (1990), 625-631), protoplast transformation, the electroporation of partially permeabilized cells, and the introduction of DNA by means of glass fibers. The transformation of maize, in particular, has been described repeatedly in the literature (cf., for example, WO 9506128A2, EP-A2-0513849, EP-A1-0465875, EP-A1-292435; Fromm et al., Biotechnology 8, (1990), 833-844; Gordon-Kamm et al., Plant Cell 2, (1990), 603-618; Koziel et al., Biotechnology 11 (1993), 194-200; Moroc et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 80, (1990), 721-726).
The successful transformation of other cereal species has also been described, for example in the case of barley (Wan and Lemaux, see above; Ritala et al., see above; Krens et al., Nature 296, (1982), 72-74) and wheat (Nehra et al., Plant J. 5, (1994), 285-297).
Regulatory elements for the expression in plant cells of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention are, in principle, any promoter, enhancer, terminator etc. which is active in plant cells. The promoter can be chosen in such a way that expression in the plants according to the invention is constitutive, or only in a particular tissue, at a particular point in time of the plant""s development, or at a point in time determined by external factors. Relative to the plant, the promoter may be homologous or heterologous.
Examples of suitable promoters are the promoter of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S RNA (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,605) and the Ubiquitin promoter (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,399) for constitutive expression, the patatin gene promoter B33 (Rocha-Sosa et al., EMBO J. 8 (1989), 23-29) for tuber-specific expression in potatoes, or a promoter which ensures expression only in photosynthetically active tissues, for example the ST-LS1 promoter (Stockhaus et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84 (1987), 7943-7947; Stockhaus et al., EMBO J. 8 (1989), 2445-2451), the Ca/b promoter (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,496, U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,952, Bansal et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, (1992), 3654-3658) and the Rubisco SSU promoter (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,322, U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,028). However, it is also possible to use promoters which are only activated at a point in time which is determined by external factors (see, for example, WO9307279A1). Promoters of heat shock proteins, which permit simple induction, may be of particular interest in this context. Furthermore, seed-specific promoters such as, for example, the Vicia faba USP promoter, ensure seed-specific expression in Vicia faba and other plants (Fiedler et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 22, (1993), 669-679; Bxc3xa4umlein et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 225, (1991), 459-467). Other promoters which can be employed are fruit-specific promoters, for example as described in WO9101373A1.
Promoters which are especially preferably used are those for endosperm-specific expression such as, for example, the glutelin promoter (Leisy et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 14, (1990), 41-50; Zheng et al., Plant J. 4, (1993), 357-366), the wheat HMG promoter, the USP promoter, the phaseolin promoter, or promoters of maize zein genes (Pedersen et al., Cell 29, (1982), 1015-1026; Quatroccio et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 15 (1990), 81-93). It is possible with the aid of endosperm-specific promoters to increase the transcript quantity of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention in the endosperm in comparison with the endosperm of corresponding wild-type plants.
The maize shrunken-1 promoter (sh-1) (Werr et al., EMBO J. 4, (1985), 1373-1380) is especially preferably used.
A termination sequence which serves for the correct transcriptional termination and for adding a poly-A tail to the transcript, which is understood to have a function in stabilizing the transcripts, may furthermore be present. Such elements have been described in the literature (cf., for example, Gielen et al., EMBO J. 8 (1989), 23-29) and are freely exchangeable.
In addition it is possible to generate, with the aid of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention, plant cells and plants in which the activity of a protein according to the invention is reduced. This leads to the synthesis of the starch with altered chemical and/or physical properties in comparison with starch from wild-type plant cells.
Another subject matter of the invention are therefore also transgenic plant cells in which the activity of a protein according to the invention is reduced in comparison with corresponding non-genetically-modified plant cells of wild-type plants.
The term xe2x80x9cwild-type plantxe2x80x9d/xe2x80x9cwild-type plant cellxe2x80x9d means for the purposes of the present invention that these are plant/plant cells which acted as starting material for generating the plants/plant cells according to the invention, i.e. whose genetic information corresponds to that of a plant/plant cell according to the invention apart from the genetic modification which has been introduced.
For example, plant cells with a reduced activity of a protein according to the invention can successfully be generated by expressing a corresponding antisense RNA, or by expressing a suitably constructed ribozyme which specifically cleaves transcripts which encode one of the proteins according to the invention. Moreover, a reduced activity can be achieved by introducing those DNA molecules which, via a cosuppression effect, result in a reduced expression of endogenous genes which encode a protein according to the invention. Moreover, plant cells with a reduced activity of a protein according to the invention can be generated by means of in-vivo mutagenesis. To this end, mutations or insertions can be introduced, via homologous recombination, into an endogenous gene which encodes the protein according to the invention. The mutation or insertion leads to a reduced expression of the endogenous gene which encodes a protein according to the invention, or to the synthesis of an inactive protein according to the invention.
To reduce the activity of a protein according to the invention in plant cells, it is preferred to express an antisense RNA.
To this end, it is possible to use, on the one hand, DNA molecules which encompass the entire sequence encoding a protein according to the invention inclusive of any flanking sequences which are present, and, on the other hand, DNA molecules which only encompass portions of the coding sequence, it being necessary for these portions to be long enough to cause an antisense effect in the cells. However, genomic DNA molecules which encode, for example, an intron, can furthermore also be used. In general, sequences up to a minimum length of 15 bp, preferably a length of 100-500 bp, may be used for an effective antisense inhibition, in particular sequences with a length of over 500 bp. As a rule, DNA molecules are used which are shorter than 5000 bp, preferably sequences which are shorter than 2500 bp. DNA molecules which are homologous with regard to the plant species to be transformed are preferably used.
It is also possible to use DNA sequences which show a high degree of homology to the sequences of the DNA molecules according to the invention, but are not fully identical. The minimum homology should exceed approx. 65%. The use of sequences with homologies of between 95 and 100% is to be preferred.
Alternatively, a reduced activity of the protein according to the invention in the plant cells can also be achieved by a cosuppression effect. The method is known to the skilled worker and described, for example, by Jorgensen (Trends Biotechnol. 8 (1990), 340-344), Niebel et al., (Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 197 (1995), 91-103), Flavell et al. (Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 197 (1995), 43-46), Palaqui and Vaucheret (Plant. Mol. Biol. 29 (1995), 149-159), Vaucheret et al., (Mol. Gen. Genet. 248 (1995), 311-317), de Borne et al. (Mol. Gen. Genet. 243 (1994), 613-621) and in other sources.
Again, as in the case of the above-described antisense technology, DNA molecules can be used in this context which encompass the entire coding region of the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention or else DNA molecules which only encompass portions of the coding sequence. The use of introns is also feasible.
The expression of ribozymes for reducing the activity of certain enzymes in cells is known to the skilled worker and described, for example, in EP-B1-0321201. The expression of ribozymes in plant cells was described, for example, by Feyter et al. (Mol. Gen. Genet. 250, (1996), 329-338).
Furthermore, a reduced activity in plant cells of the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention may also be achieved by xe2x80x9cin-vivo mutagenesisxe2x80x9d, where a chimeric RNA-DNA-oligonucleotide (xe2x80x9cchimeroplastxe2x80x9d) is introduced into cells by transforming cells (Kipp, P. B. et al., Poster Session at the 5th International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology, Sep. 21-27, 1997, Singapore; R. A. Dixon and C. J. Arntzen, Meeting report on xe2x80x9cMetabolic Engineering in Transgenic Plantsxe2x80x9d, Keystone Symposia, Copper Mountain, Colo., USA, TIBTECH 15, (1997), 441-447; International Patent Application WO 9515972A1; Kren et al., Hepatology 25, (1997), 1462-1468; Cole-Strauss et al., Science 273, (1996), 1386-1389).
A portion of the DNA component of the RNA-DNA oligonucleotide is homologous to a nucleic acid sequence of an endogenous gene encoding a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention, but has, in comparison with the nucleic acid sequence of the endogenous gene, a mutation or contains a heterologous region surrounded by the homologous regions.
Base pairing of the homologous regions of the RNA-DNA oligonucleotide and of the endogenous nucleic acid molecule followed by homologous recombination allows the mutation, or heterologous region, present in the DNA component of the RNA-DNA oligonucleotide to be transferred into the endogenous gene of a plant cell. This leads to a reduced activity of a protein according to the invention.
The skilled worker furthermore knows that the activity of a protein according to the invention can be achieved by expressing non-functional derivatives, in particular transdominant mutants, of such proteins and/or expressing antagonists/inhibitors of such proteins. Antagonists/inhibitors of such proteins include, for example, antibodies, antibody fragments or molecules with similar binding properties. For example, a cytoplasmic scFv antibody was used for modulating the activity of the phytochrome A protein in genetically modified tobacco plants (Owen, Bio/Technology 10, (1992), 790-794; Review: Franken, E., Teuschel, U. and Hain, R., Current Opinion in Biotechnology 8, (1997), 411-416; Whitelam, Trends Plant Sci. 1, (1996), 268-272).
The term xe2x80x9creduced activityxe2x80x9d means for the purposes of the present invention a reduced expression of endogenous genes which encode a protein according to the invention and/or a reduced quantity of protein according to the invention in the cells, in particular a reduced enzymatic activity of the protein according to the invention in the cells.
Reduced expression can be established, for example, by measuring the quantity of transcripts encoding the protein according to the invention, for example by Northern blot analysis. xe2x80x9cReducedxe2x80x9d preferably means in this context that the amount of transcript compared with corresponding non-genetically-modified cells is reduced by at least 50%, preferably by at least 70%, especially preferably by at least 85% and very especially preferably by at least 95%.
The reduced amount of protein according to the invention can be determined, for example, by Western Blot analysis. xe2x80x9cReducedxe2x80x9d preferably means in this context that the amount of protein according to the invention compared with corresponding, non-genetically-modified cells is reduced by at least 50%, preferably by at least 70%, especially preferably by at least 85% and very especially preferably by at least 95%. The reduced enzymatic activity of the protein according to the invention can be determined, for example, as described by Denyer und Smith (Planta 186 (1992), 609-617). A reduced enzymatic activity compared with corresponding, non-genetically-modified cells preferably means in this context a reduction by at least 50%, preferably by at least 70%, especially preferably by at least 85% and very especially preferably by at least 95%.
What has been said above in a different context about the term xe2x80x9cgenetically modifiedxe2x80x9d also applies here.
Subject matter of the present invention are therefore in particular also transgenic plant cells.
a) which contain at least one DNA molecule which can lead to the synthesis of at least one antisense RNA which causes a reduced expression of endogenous genes which encode a protein according to the invention;
b) which contain at least one DNA molecule which, via a cosuppression effect, leads to a reduced expression of endogenous genes which encode a protein according to the invention;
c) which contain at least one DNA molecule which leads to the synthesis of at least one ribozyme which specifically cleaves transcripts of endogenous genes which encode a protein according to the invention; and/or
d) which, owing to an in-vivo mutagenesis, have a mutation or an insertion of a heterologous DNA sequence in at least one endogenous gene encoding a protein according to the invention, the mutation or insertion causing reduced expression of the gene or the synthesis of an inactive protein according to the invention.
It is furthermore possible, with the aid of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention, to generate plant cells and plants in which the activity of a protein according to the invention is increased. This leads to the synthesis of a starch of altered chemical and/or physical properties compared with starch from wild-type plant cells and wild-type plants.
Another subject matter of the invention are also transgenic plant cells in which the activity of a protein according to the invention is increased by comparison with corresponding, non-genetically-modified plant cells of wild-type plants.
To generate plant cells according to the invention which have an increased activity of the protein according to the invention compared with corresponding, non-genetically-wild-type plant cells, nucleic acid molecules according to the invention are used, in sense orientation, which comprise the coding region of a starch synthase according to the invention. In a further embodiment, it is also possible to use portions of the coding region, under the condition that they encode a catalytically active starch synthase protein. In an especially preferred embodiment, the nucleic acid molecules indicated under Seq ID No. 1 are used.
The term xe2x80x9cincreased activityxe2x80x9d means for the purposes of the present invention increased expression of endogenous genes which encode a protein according to the invention and/or an increased quantity of protein according to the invention in the cells, in particular an increased enzymatic activity of the protein according to the invention in the cells.
The increased expression can be determined, for example, by measuring the amount of the transcripts encoding the protein according to the invention, for example by Northern blot analysis. xe2x80x9cIncreasedxe2x80x9d in this context preferably means that the amount of transcripts compared with corresponding non-genetically modified cells is increased by at least 50%, preferably by at least 100%, in particular by at least 500% and especially preferably by at least 1500%.
The increased amount of protein according to the invention can be determined, for example, by Western blot analysis. xe2x80x9cIncreasedxe2x80x9d preferably means in this context that the amount of protein according to the invention compared with corresponding non-genetically modified cells is increased by at least 50%, preferably by at least 100%, in particular by at least 500% and especially preferably by at least 1500%.
The increased enzymatic activity of the protein according to the invention can especially preferably be determined as described by Denyer and Smith (see above). An increased enzymatic activity compared with corresponding, non-genetically-modified cells preferably means in this context an increase by at least 50%, preferably by at least 100%, in particular by at least 500%, and especially preferably by at least 1500%.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the transgenic plant cells according to the invention with increased activity of a protein according to the invention compared with plant cells from wild-type plants are those plant cells which originate from starch-storing tissues, preferably from tubers and the endosperm, in particular the endosperm of maize plants.
Surprisingly, it has been found that plant cells in which the activity of the protein according to the invention, in particular in plant cells of the endosperm, is increased compared with corresponding wild-type plants, synthesize a starch whose physicochemical properties are altered compared with starch synthesized in wild-type plants, in particular in the endosperm, so that it is better suited for specific purposes.
The plant cells according to the invention may belong to any plant species, i.e. to monocotyledonous or else dicotyledonous plants. They are preferably plant cells from agriculturally useful plants, i.e. plants which are grown by man for the purposes of nutrition or for technical, in particular industrial, purposes. The invention preferably relates to fiber-forming (for example flax, hemp, cotton), oil-storing (for example oilseed rape, sunflowers, soya beans), sugar-storing (for example sugar beet, sugar cane, sugar millet, banana) and protein-storing plants (for example legumes). In a further preferred embodiment, the invention relates to plant cells from fodder plants (for example grasses used as animal feed, fodder grasses, alfalfa, clover and the like), vegetable plants (for example tomatoes, lettuce, chicory).
In an especially preferred embodiment, the invention relates to plant cells from starch-storing plants (for example wheat, barley, oats, rye, potatoes, maize, rice, peas, cassava, mung bean), particularly preferred are plant cells from maize, rice, wheat and potatoes.
The plant cells according to the invention can be used for regenerating intact plants. The plants obtainable by regenerating the transgenic plant cells according to the invention are also a subject matter of the present invention.
Subject matter of the invention are furthermore plants which contain the above-described plant cells according to the invention. The plants according to the invention may be, in principle, plants of any plant species, i.e. both monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous plants. They are preferably plant cells from agriculturally useful plants, i.e. plants which are grown by man for the purposes of nutrition or for technical, in particular industrial, fibre-forming purposes. The invention preferably relates to plant cells from (for example flax, hemp, cotton), oil-storing (for example oilseed rape, sunflowers, soya beans), sugar-storing (for example sugar beet, sugar cane, sugar millet, banana) and protein-storing plants (for example legumes).
In a further preferred embodiment, the invention relates to fodder plants (for example grasses used as animal feed, fodder grasses, alfalfa, clover and the like), vegetable plants (for example tomatoes, lettuce, chicory).
In an especially preferred embodiment, the invention relates to starch-storing plants (for example wheat, barley, oats, rye, potatoes, maize, rice, peas, cassava, mung bean), particularly preferred are maize, rice, wheat and potato plants.
In further preferred embodiment, the plants according to the invention show an increased activity of a protein according to the invention in plant cells of starch-storing tissues compared with corresponding non-genetically-modified plant cells from wild-type plants, preferably in plant cells from tubers or the endosperm, especially preferably in plant cells of the endosperm of maize plants.
In a further embodiment of the invention, plants which contain the plant cells according to the invention with increased activity of the protein according to the invention, exhibit a higher yield and/or higher starch content compared with non-modified wild-type plants.
The term xe2x80x9chigher yieldxe2x80x9d preferably means in this context an increased production of constituents, in particular starch, and/or biomass, in particular when the latter is measured by the fresh weight per plant.
The term xe2x80x9cincreased starch contentxe2x80x9d means in this context that the starch content in plant cells according to the invention is at least 10%, preferably at least 20%, in particular at least 30% and especially preferably at least 40% higher compared with plant cells of the non-modified wild-type plants.
Methods for determining the starch content are known to the skilled worker.
Such an increase in yield and/or starch content preferably relates to harvestable plant organs such as seeds, fruits, storage roots, tubers, roots, flowers, buds, shoots, stems or timber.
In accordance with the invention, the increase in yield amounts to at least 3% based on the biomass and/or constituents, compared with corresponding, non-transformed plants of the same genotype when these plants are grown under the same conditions, preferably at least 5%, in particular at least 10% and especially preferably at least 20% or even 40% compared with wild-type plants.
The present invention also relates to methods for generating transgenic plants, where
a) a plant cell is subjected to genetic modification by introducing a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention and/or a vector according to the invention; and
b) a plant is regenerated from a cell; and, if appropriate,
c) more plants are generated from the plant of b)
What has already been explained above in a different context also applies to the genetic modification introduced as described in step a). For example, genetically modified plant cells show a reduced activity of the protein according to the invention or an increased activity of the protein according to the invention.
Plants may be regenerated in accordance with step b) by methods known to the skilled worker.
More plants may be generated in accordance with step c) of the methods according to the invention for example by vegetative propagation (for example using cuttings, tubers or by means of callus culture and regeneration of intact plants) or by generative propagation. Generative propagation is preferably done under controlled conditions, i.e. selected plants with specific properties are crossed with each other and propagated.
The present invention also relates to the plants obtainable by the methods according to the invention.
The present invention also relates to propagation material of plants according to the invention and of the transgenic plants generated in accordance with the methods according to the invention. The term propagation material encompasses those parts of the plant which are suitable for generating progeny by the vegetative or generative route. Examples which are suitable for vegetative propagation are cuttings, callus cultures, rhizomes or tubers. Other propagation material encompasses, for example, fruits, seeds, seedlings, protoplasts, cell cultures and the like. The propagation material is preferably tubers and seeds.
In a further embodiment, the present invention relates to harvestable plant organs of plants according to the invention such as fruits, storage roots, roots, flowers, buds, shoots or stems, preferably seeds or tubers, and to feedstuffs which contain these harvestable plant organs, preferably seeds or tubers. Harvestable plant organs according to the invention, preferably seeds or tubers and/or feedstuffs, may be characterized by an altered energy value, preferably an increased energy value.
The term xe2x80x9cenergy valuexe2x80x9d is to be understood as meaning in the present context in particular xe2x80x9cdigestible energyxe2x80x9d. The term xe2x80x9cdigestible energyxe2x80x9d is defined as: digestible energy=feed gross energy minus fecal calorific value (Landwirtschaftliches Lehrbuch 2: Tierzucht [Textbook of Agriculture 2: animal production], Ed.:D. Schmidt, 5th Edition, 1982, Eugen Ulmer GmbH and Co, p. 244). Gross energy is to be understood as meaning the total calorific value of a feedstuff which can be measured in Joule. Methods for determining the xe2x80x9cenergy valuexe2x80x9d or the xe2x80x9cdigestible energyxe2x80x9d are known to the skilled worker.
In accordance with the invention, the energy value is increased by at least 3%, preferably at least 10%, in particular at least 30% and especially preferably at least 60%.
Owing to the expression, or additional expression, of a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention and/or owing to the increased or reduced activity of a protein according to the invention, the transgenic plant cells and plants according to the invention synthesize a starch which is altered compared with starch synthesized in wild-type plants for example with regard to its physicochemical properties, in particular the amylose/amylopectin ratio, the degree of branching, the mean chain length, the phosphate content, the gelatinization behavior, the starch granule size and/or the starch granule shape. In particular, such a starch may be altered compared with wild-type starch with regard to the viscosity and/or the gelling properties of sizes of this starch.
Subject matter of the present invention is also the starch obtainable from the transgenic plant cells according to the invention and/or the plants according to the invention and/or the propagation material according to the invention.
Owing to the altered physicochemical properties, the starches according to the invention show altered functional properties. Important functional properties of starch, or its aqueous solutions, are the retrogradation behavior, the film-forming properties, the gel strength, the viscosity, the stability with regard to color, the enzymatic digestibility, the freeze-thaw stability, the stability to acids, the shear stability, the transparency, the water-binding capacity, the gelatinization properties and binding and adhesive properties. The starches according to the invention can be modified by processes known to the skilled worker and are suitable, in their unmodified or modified forms, for a variety of applications in the food or non-food sector.
In principle, the possible uses of the starch can be divided into two important sectors. One sector encompasses the hydrolysis products of the starch, mainly glucose and glucan units, which are obtained by enzymatic or chemical methods. They are used as starting materials for other chemical modifications and processes such as fermentation. Of importance here for reducing the outlay is the simplicity and inexpensive design of a hydrolysis process. Currently it is performed essentially enzymatically using amyloglucosidase. What would be feasible is a financial saving by using fewer enzymes. This could be caused by altering the structure of the starch, for example by increasing the granule surface area, better degradability owing to a lower degree of branching, or a sterical structure which limits the accessibility for the enzymes employed. The other sector in which starch, owing to its polymeric structure, is used is as a so-called native starch can be divided into two further fields of application:
Starch is a traditional additive to a large number of foodstuffs in which its function is essentially to bind aqueous additives or to cause an increased viscosity or else increased gelling. Important characteristics are the flowing behavior sorptive behavior, the swelling temperature, the gelatinization temperature, the viscosity, the thickening power, starch solubility, transparency, gel structure, thermal stability, shear stability, stability to acids, the tendency to undergo retrogradation, the film-forming capacity, the freeze-thaw stability, digestibility and the ability of forming complexes with, for example, inorganic or organic ions.
In this important sector, starch is employed as auxiliary for various production processes or as an additive in industrial products. When using starch as an auxiliary, mention must be made, in particular, of the paper and board industry. Starch acts mainly for retardation purposes (retaining solids), binding filler particles and fines, as a stiffener and for dehydration. Moreover, the advantageous properties of starch regarding stiffness, rigidity, sound, touch, luster, smoothness, bonding strength and the surfaces is exploited.
Within the papermaking process, four fields of application must be distinguished, i.e. surface, coating, stock and spraying.
The demands on starch with regard to surface treatment are essentially high whiteness, an adapted viscosity, highly stable viscosity, good film formation and low dust formation. When used for coating, the solids content, a suitable viscosity, a high binding capacity and a high pigment affinity play an important role. Of importance when used as additive to the stock is rapid, uniform, loss-free distribution, high mechanical strength and complete retention in the paper web. If the starch is used in the spraying sector, again, an adapted solids content, high viscosity and a high binding capacity are of importance.
An important field of application for starches is the adhesives industry, where the potential uses can be divided into four subsections: the use as a pure starch paste, the use in starch pastes which have been treated with specialty chemicals, the use of starch as additive to synthetic resins and polymer dispersions, and the use of starches as extenders for synthetic adhesives. 90% of the starch-based adhesives are employed in the sectors production of corrugated board, production of paper sacks and bags, production of composite materials for paper and aluminum, production of box board and gumming adhesive for envelopes, stamps and the like.
An important field of application for starches as auxiliaries and additives is the sector production of textiles and textile care products. The following four fields of application must be distinguished within the textile industry: the use of starch as sizing agent, i.e. as auxiliary for smoothing and for strengthening smoothing behavior as a protection from the tensile forces applied during weaving, and for increasing resistance to abrasion during weaving, starch as a textile finishing agent, in particular after quality-reducing pretreatments such as bleaching, dyeing and the like, starch as thickener in the preparation of dye pastes for preventing bleeding, and starch as additive to glazing agents for sewing threads.
The fourth field of application is the use of starches as additives in construction materials. An example is the production of gypsum plasterboards, where the starch which is admixed to the gypsum slurry gelatinizes with the water, diffuses to the surface of the plaster core and there binds the board to the core. Other fields of application are the mixture to rendering and mineral fibers. In the case of ready-mixed concrete, starch products are employed for delaying binding.
A further market for starch products is the production of soil stabilizers which are employed for the temporary protection of the soil particles from water when the soil is disturbed artificially. According to present knowledge, product combinations of starch and polymer emulsions equal the previously employed products with regard to their erosion- and crust-reducing effect, but are markedly less expensive.
One field of application for using starch is in crop protection products for altering the specific properties of the products. Thus, starches are employed for improving the wettability of crop protection products and fertilizers, for the controlled release of the active ingredients, for converting liquid active ingredients, volatile active ingredients and/or active ingredients with an offensive odor into microcrystalline, stable, shapeable substances, for mixing incompatible compounds and for extending the duration of action by reducing decomposition.
Another field of application is the sector of the pharmaceuticals, medicine and cosmetics industry. In the pharmaceuticals industry, starches are employed as binders for tablets or for diluting the binder in capsules. Moreover, starches are used as disintegrants for tablets since they absorb fluids after having been swallowed and swell within a short time to such an extent that the active ingredient is liberated. Medicinal lubricating powders and wound powders are starch-based for reasons of quality. In the cosmetics sector, starches are employed, for example, as carriers of powder additives such as fragrances and salicylic acid. A relatively large field of application for starch is toothpaste.
A field of application for starch is as an additive to coal and briquettes. With an addition of starch, coal can be agglomerated, or briquetted, in terms of high quantity, thus preventing early decomposition of the briquettes. In the case of barbecue coal, the starch addition amounts to between 4 and 6%, in the case of calorized coal to between 0.1 and 0.5%. Moreover, starches are gaining importance as binders since the emission of noxious substances can be markedly reduced when starches are added to coal and briquettes.
Furthermore, starch can be employed as flocculent in the treatment of ore slicks and coal silts.
A further field of application is as additive to foundry auxiliaries. Various casting processes require cores made with sands treated with binders. The binder which is predominantly employed nowadays is bentonite, which is treated with modified starches, in most cases swellable starches.
The purpose of adding starch is to increase flowability and to improve binding power. In addition, the swellable starches can meet other demands of production engineering, such as being cold-water-dispersible, rehydratable, readily miscible with sand and having high water-binding capacity.
In the rubber industry, starch can be employed for improving the technical and visual quality. The reasons are the improvement of the surface luster, the improvement of handle and of appearance, and to this end starches scattered to the tacky gummed surfaces of rubber materials prior to cold curing, and also the improvement of the rubber""s printability.
Modified starches may furthermore also be sold for the production of leather substitutes.
In the polymer sector, the following fields of application can be envisaged: the use of starch degradation products in the processing process (starch is only a filler, there is no direct bond between synthetic polymer and starch), or, alternatively, the use of starch degradation products in the production of polymers (starch and polymer form a stable bond).
The use of starch as a pure filler is not competitive in comparison with other substances such as talc. However, this is different when the specific properties of starch make an impact and thus markedly alter the spectrum of characteristics of the end products. An example of this is the use of starch products in the processing of thermoplasts, such as polyethylene. Here, the starch and the synthetic polymer are combined by coexpression in a ratio of 1:1 to give a masterbatch, from which various products are produced together with granulated polyethylene, using conventional process techniques. By using starch in polyethylene films, an increased substance permeability in the case of hollow bodies, an improved permeability for water vapor, an improved antistatic behavior, an improved antiblock behavior and an improved printability with aqueous inks can be achieved.
Another possibility is the use of starch in polyurethane foams. By adapting the starch derivatives and by process-engineering optimization, it is possible to control the reaction between synthetic polymers and the starches"" hydroxyl groups in a directed manner. This results in polyurethane films which have the following spectrum of properties, owing to the use of starch: a reduced heat extension coefficient, a reduced shrinking behavior, an improved pressure-tension behavior, an increase in permeability for water vapor without altering the uptake of water, a reduced flammability and a reduced ultimate tensile strength, no drop formation of combustible parts, freedom from halogens and reduced aging. Disadvantages which still exist are a reduced printability and a reduced impact strength.
Product development is currently no longer restricted to films. Solid polymer products such as pots, slabs and dishes which contain a starch content of over 50% may also be produced. Moreover, starch/polymer mixtures are considered advantageous since their biodegradability is much higher.
Starch graft polymers become exceedingly important owing to their extremely high water binding capacity. They are products with a starch backbone and a side chain of a synthetic monomer, grafted on following the principle of the free-radical chain mechanism. The starch graft polymers which are currently available are distinguished by better binding and retention capacity of up to 1000 g of water per g of starch combined with high viscosity. The fields of application for these superabsorbers have extended greatly in recent years and are, in the hygiene sector, the products diapers and pads and, in the agricultural sector, for example seed coatings.
What is decisive for the application of novel, genetically engineered starches are, on the one hand, structure, water content, protein content, lipid content, fiber content, ash/phosphate content, amylose/amylopectin ratio, molecular mass distribution, degree of branching, granule size and granule shape and crystallization, and, on the other hand, also the characteristics which affect the following features: flowing behavior, sorptive behavior, gelatinization temperature, viscosity, thickening power, solubility, gel structure and transparency, heat stability, shear stability, stability to acids, tendency to undergo retrogradation, gel formation, freeze-thaw stability, complex formation, iodine binding, film formation, adhesive power, enzyme stability, digestibility and reactivity.
The production of modified starches by means of genetic engineering methods can, on the one hand, alter the properties of the starch derived from the plant in such a way that other modifications by means of chemical of physical alterations are no longer required. On the other hand, starches which have been altered by genetic engineering methods may be subjected to further chemical and/or physical modification, which leads to further improvement in quality for some of the above-described fields of application. These chemical and physical modifications are known in principle. They are, in particular, modifications by:
thermal treatment,
treatment with acids,
production of starch ethers
starch alkyl ethers, O-allyl ethers, hydroxyalkyl ethers, O-carboxymethyl ethers, N-containing starch ethers, P-containing starch ethers, S-containing starch ethers
production of crosslinked starches
production of starch graft polymers
oxidation and
esterifications which lead to the formation of phosphate, nitrate, sulfate, xanthate, acetate and citrate starches. Other organic acids can also be used for the esterification.
The present invention furthermore relates to a process for the production of a modified starch comprising the step of extracting the starch from an above-described plant (plant cell) according to the invention and/or from starch-storing parts of such a plant. Such a process preferably also comprises the step of harvesting the plants which have been grown, and/or starch-storing parts of these plants before extracting the starch, and especially preferably furthermore the step of growing plants according to the invention prior to harvesting. Methods for extracting the starch from plants or from starch-storing parts of plants are known to the skilled worker.
Moreover, methods for extracting the starch from various starch-storing plants are described, for example, in xe2x80x9cStarch: Chemistry and Technology (Editor: Whistler, BeMiller and Paschall (1994), 2nd Edition, Academic Press Inc. London Ltd; ISBN 0-12-746270-8; see, for example, Chapter XII, page 412-468: maize and sorghum starches: production; by Watson; Chapter XIII, page 469-479: tapioca, arrowroot and sago starches: production; by Corbishley and Miller; Chapter XIV, page 479-490: potato starch: production and uses; by Mitch; Chapter XV, page 491 to 506: wheat starch: production, modification and uses; by Knight and Oson; and Chapter XVI, page 507 to 528: rice starch: production and uses; by Rohmer and Klem; maize starch: Eckhoff et al., Cereal Chem. 73 (1996) 54-57, the extraction of maize starch on an industrial scale is generally done by wet milling.). Apparatus usually used in processes for extracting starch from plant materials are separators, decanters, hydrocyclones, spray dryers and fluidized-bed dryers.
Subject matter of the present invention is furthermore starch obtainable by the above-described process according to the invention.
The invention furthermore relates to starch obtainable from the plant cells according to the invention and/or plants according to the invention and to starch obtainable from starch-storing tissues, in particular tubers and kernels, of plants according to the invention.
In a further embodiment, the present invention relates to the use of the starches according to the invention in the industrial sector, preferably for the production of foodstuffs, feedstuffs and paper.